Dozens of affordable homes planned for 'highly accessible' farmland near Stafford

Touch Developments has applied to Stafford Borough Council for outline permission to build the properties on land off Old Croft Road, Walton on the Hill.

Four one bedroom flats, nine two-bedroom bungalows and 27 houses ranging from two to four bedrooms are proposed for the 4.63-acre (1.8- hectare) site, a planning statement submitted as part of the application said.

It added: “The site comprises an arable field on the edge of the settlement boundary of Stafford in a highly accessible location.

“The proposal involves the erection of 40 affordable dwellings (and) each property will have their own garden area and two parking spaces. Across the Stafford Borough area, the delivery of affordable housing has fallen persistently short of meeting identified needs.

“On a local basis, in Berkswich Parish – within which the application site is located – there has been no affordable housing delivery for the last 10 years since the beginning of the (Stafford Borough Local Plan) period in 2011/12. This means that those in affordable housing need in the parish will be forced to look elsewhere.”

But one resident in Grosvenor Way is worried about the impact on water supply if the new homes are built. They said: “If 40 houses are connected to the end of the mains water pipe in Old Croft Road there will be a very noticeable strain on supply with unacceptable low water pressure, not only to our area but also the new development.

“I don’t know if my concerns are a planning issue but perhaps the developer is not aware of the issues with low pressure at in our area. I am very concerned this development of 40 houses will cause major problems to the supply of water to this area.”